Tomorrow Alex will be one whole month old! This last four weeks have been a total blur, and have gone by very quickly. we are still adjusting to life with Alex, and just when we think that we have him figured out, he goes and changes everything on us again! His colic has calmed down considerably, so he doesn't cry as much as he used to. The only problem with this is that he now doesn't sleep as much, which translates into more time I have to hold him through the day (he is quite cuddly most of the time).
Since Alex has been on formula his behavior is much better. He is more awake, happier and slightly more interactive than he used to be. We have been anxiously awaiting his first smile, since we mostly get the "who the hell are you" look most of the time. If it's not that look, then it's the "feed me now before I eat my hands" look. We are trying to get him to sleep on his own without rocking etc., but that continuously backfires on us...We invariably end up putting him down once he's almost asleep, instead of putting him down awake and letting him cry himself to sleep. We can only handle the crying for so long, then have to pick him up. For some reason it seems very cruel to let him cry for too long.
The other revelation we have had is that Alex does not like large groups of people, or being man-handled by a bunch of people either. After my shower, he was miserable for 3 days. We then started a bedtime routine with him---bath at 7pm, then a bottle, then to bed. This was working great, and then he changed on us. He was asleep by 8, and now we are lucky if he goes to sleep by 930. This translates into less sleep for me, since I go to sleep once he's in bed. I was happy when I was getting 5 hours, now I'm lucky if I get 4 in a row.
The good news is that despite everything, Alex is gaining weight and growing....At the health unit last week he was already 11lbs with his clothes on and a loaded diaper. I figure he was closer to 10 1/2 lbs. We go to the doctor in 2 weeks for our 6 week checkup, and we'll have a real weight then. The only other visit we have made is to the obstetrician, because I managed to get an infection in my incision. Nothing bad, just a very small superficial infection, but enough for antibiotics and a bit more pain I didn't need. Thankfully, it is almost cleared up now, and I should be well on the road to healing.
So, we continue to take things day by day.Dan and I are a little worse for wear, and it is starting to show, but all we need is some time and we'll be alright. Most of our problems come from trying to juggle too much. Plus, it is really hard to deal with Alex and Ruby--She is like a really big retarded 3 year old. We have to put her back in training because she has gotten really stupid over the last month. She listens to nothing, and if we don't train her, then we'll have to give her away. I would rather invest some time in training her though....We do love her, she is just a bit much.
Well, I will be back on again once we go to the doctor next..Unless something amazing happens!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
latest news..........
I realize it has been a while since I have posted, but we have had one hell of a two weeks....
We first ran into problems last week when Alex got colicky...On Firday morning he cried from 8am until 2pm, then slept all evening, then was up all night....However, once we gave him some gripe water he calmed down a bit. The only other issue was that during this colicky period, Alex decided he wasn't going to breastfeed anymore. He went from doing really well, to not at all. In fact, everytime I tried to breastfeed, he would turn stiff as a board, and would scream at the top of his lungs.
I lasted until Monday, when we went to the health unit looking for help. Unfortunately, we didn't get any. As far as the nurse was concerned, these things happen and we should just keep trying. I was a complete emotional mess, and this didn't help. It is hard to explain, but when your child will not breastfeed, a little part of you feels the ultimate rejection, like your body was good enough to live in for 9 months, but it's not good enough to provide food for your child.
We went to the doctor on Tuesday looking for help, and he said exactly what I needed to hear---it is not worth making yourself sick over, and formula fed infants do just as well as breastfed ones. Dan and I talked about our options, and after much thoiught we decided to switch to formula only feeding. We noticed an almost immediate change in Alex...He sleeps better at night, and doesn't cry so much in the day. He wants to cuddle with mom more, where before he bdidn't want anything to do with me.
We also invested in a rumble seat...Now that Alex is getting used to it, he actually likes it quite a bit.I thought for sure we were going to have to return it. It helps mostly when my arms need a break and Dan is trying to work and can't take Alex.
It seems I spend most of my blogging complaining.....I guess it's just my way of venting. We've had a pretty emotional time here, with both Dan and I in tears at some point because we have no idea what we're doing. It is hard to understand if you've never been through it, and we have had some people completely choked that we haven't been around for the last two weeks or so. But, our first responsibility is to each other, and then to Alex. Our friends come next and it may be hard for some since we have always been around, but once things settle here (we they are starting to now) we will be out more often and more readily available for our friends.
So, hang in there everyone...We are and we are also positive things are going to get better. I wouldn't trade Alex for the world, colic and everything.
We first ran into problems last week when Alex got colicky...On Firday morning he cried from 8am until 2pm, then slept all evening, then was up all night....However, once we gave him some gripe water he calmed down a bit. The only other issue was that during this colicky period, Alex decided he wasn't going to breastfeed anymore. He went from doing really well, to not at all. In fact, everytime I tried to breastfeed, he would turn stiff as a board, and would scream at the top of his lungs.
I lasted until Monday, when we went to the health unit looking for help. Unfortunately, we didn't get any. As far as the nurse was concerned, these things happen and we should just keep trying. I was a complete emotional mess, and this didn't help. It is hard to explain, but when your child will not breastfeed, a little part of you feels the ultimate rejection, like your body was good enough to live in for 9 months, but it's not good enough to provide food for your child.
We went to the doctor on Tuesday looking for help, and he said exactly what I needed to hear---it is not worth making yourself sick over, and formula fed infants do just as well as breastfed ones. Dan and I talked about our options, and after much thoiught we decided to switch to formula only feeding. We noticed an almost immediate change in Alex...He sleeps better at night, and doesn't cry so much in the day. He wants to cuddle with mom more, where before he bdidn't want anything to do with me.
We also invested in a rumble seat...Now that Alex is getting used to it, he actually likes it quite a bit.I thought for sure we were going to have to return it. It helps mostly when my arms need a break and Dan is trying to work and can't take Alex.
It seems I spend most of my blogging complaining.....I guess it's just my way of venting. We've had a pretty emotional time here, with both Dan and I in tears at some point because we have no idea what we're doing. It is hard to understand if you've never been through it, and we have had some people completely choked that we haven't been around for the last two weeks or so. But, our first responsibility is to each other, and then to Alex. Our friends come next and it may be hard for some since we have always been around, but once things settle here (we they are starting to now) we will be out more often and more readily available for our friends.
So, hang in there everyone...We are and we are also positive things are going to get better. I wouldn't trade Alex for the world, colic and everything.
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